Gabriel India has recently announced its technical collaboration with Inalfa Roof Systems, a Netherlands-based company to manufacture sunroofs for SUVs and sedans in India. As part of the collaboration, Gabriel, the flagship company of the Anand group and Inalfa will invest Rs 170 crore to set up a newly formed entity called Inalfa Gabriel Sunroof Systems (IGSS) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
In a round table conference with representatives of each company, Manoj Kolhatkar, MD of Gabriel, and member of the Anand Group’s executive board commented on the rising demand for sunroofs in passenger vehicles in India as well as sunroofs becoming an essential element in cars for aspirational buyers. The collaboration aims to localise both TVS (‘Tilt Vent and Slide’ sunroof) and panoramic sunroofs in India, focusing more on the latter first.Â
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The IGSS facility claims to be operational in the first quarter of 2024 and will have the capacity to produce 2,00,000 sunroofs per annum in the first phase.
Gabriel-Inalfa to make sunroofs for Hyundai, Kia, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors
While neither of the JV partners shared the level of localisation levels, it is revealed that the localisation will be in three phases starting with the glass. Kia and Hyundai will be the first two OEMs that will be served via this newly collaborated IGSS plant. It is possible that the 2023 Kia Seltos, expected to launch sometime this year, will bear a sunroof from this collaboration. It will be followed by other OEMs like Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra. The JV will cater to sedans priced between Rs 10 lakh to Rs. 40 lakh and above. There are no plans to offer the sunroofs as an aftermarket fitment.
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